Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Academy Award for Best Production Design (Norman Reynolds)
Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
National Film RegistryAward nominations: Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Douglas Slocombe)
Academy Award for Best Director (Steven Spielberg)
Academy Award for Best Original Score (John Williams)
Academy Award for Best Picture (Frank Marshall)Award details: (details at IMDb)
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Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It was produced by Frank Marshall and Howard Kazanjian, executive produced by George Lucas, written by Lawrence Kasdan and based on a story of George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Starring Harrison Ford, it was the first installment in the Indiana Jones film franchise to be released, though it is the second in internal chronological order. It pits Indiana Jones against a group of Nazis who are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, which Adolf Hitler believes will make his army invincible. The film co-stars Karen Allen as Indiana's former lover, Marion Ravenwood; Paul Freeman as Indiana's nemesis, French archaeologist René Belloq; John Rhys-Davies as Indiana's sidekick, Sallah; Ronald Lacey as Gestapo agent Arnold Toht; and Denholm Elliott as Indiana's colleague, Marcus Brody. The film originated from Lucas' desire to create a modern version of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s. Production was based at Elstree Studios, England; but filming also took place in La Rochelle, Tunisia, Hawaii, and California from June to September 1980.